California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate • Hacker News Board

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#141

Post by henriquez » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:39 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #105

henriquez wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kamala Harris sent Californians away for long haul prison sentences on drug-related infractions. Anyone here who thinks mass incarceration improves society should explain their reasoning, because I really don’t understand. Also the parent commenter on “tax base” is misguided. We’re not talking about legalizing and taxing drugs, just not locking people up for victimless crimes.

> We’re not talking about legalizing and taxing drugs, just not locking people up for victimless crimes This bill isn’t. I am.

Fair enough. I fully support legalization and deregulation of all "controlled substances"

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#142

Post by cmrdporcupine » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:39 PM UTC

ravenstine wrote: post #6

I get LSD and psilocybin, but why ketamine? In either case, I feel like this shouldn't have tried to include ketamine since the perception of it might jeopardize the bill.

I agree. Long term ketamine use can lead to some severe problems; addiction and physiological issues (destroying bladder, urinary incontinence, etc.) Not really in the same category as LSD. Only a very few and... brave ... people do LSD "recreationally" and in large quantity.

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#143

Post by TaylorAlexander » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:40 PM UTC

“ This bill would make lawful the possession for personal use, as described, and the social sharing, as defined, of psilocybin, psilocyn, dimethyltryptamine (DMT) , ibogaine, mescaline, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) , ketamine, and 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) , by and with persons 21 years of age or older.”

Amazing! I’ve been curious about LSD but it’s kinda hard to get. Also glad to see ibogaine, ketamine, and MDMA on here in addition to psylocibin as they all have great medical potential.

Really hope this is signed in to law!

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#144

Post by Jiocus » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:42 PM UTC

mrvenkman wrote: post #46

Whenever I have taken psychedelic drugs (mushrooms), or taken cannabis, it has often made me more paranoid. Has there been any research into how psychedelic drugs may fuel conspiracy theories?

> Whenever I have taken psychedelic drugs (mushrooms), or taken cannabis, it has often made me more paranoid.

Suspending one's mind into an altered state while being aware of the grave consequences that would result if getting caught –effectively defenseless while high– makes me think hypervigilance is almost a rational response to that situation.

I've seen heavy users succumb to conspiracies but such cases were ultimately a symptom of schizophrenia. There has been research into use of drugs and mental illness.

Alcohol intoxication on the other hand, doesn't share the taboo, but paranoid ideations seem plenty. Intoxicated people misread signals, pick up malicious intent wherever and the paranoia that results blows back on the people most important to the person.

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#145

Post by giantg2 » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:44 PM UTC

splithalf wrote: post #81

giantg2 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't worry, the system is so screwed up that they will continue to ruin people's lives over other infractions instead of producing true justice.

The problem is peoples’ notions of justice are capricious and savage. The draconian laws over psychedelics represents yesteryear’s popular conception of “true justice.”

I'm not sure why you're being downvoted. I agree that many penalties in the system are overly harsh. Even very minor offenses can ruin people's lives. I also agree that laws tend to lag behind society's views.

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#146

Post by BatteryMountain » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:45 PM UTC

BatteryMountain wrote: post #121

sergiotapia wrote: post #27

Doesn't california have a massive drug problem and literal armies of drug addicts shitting in the streets and harassing families and tax-payers? How will this help?

Not american, no dog in this fight, but I highly doubt the average "psychonaut" will be in the streets. Eating a few grams psilocybin would rather have the person rolling around in bed, talking to his pillow or have deep introspection, or zone out on the couch and watch cartoons, or play some musical instrument. The image you mention are people who are legit in trouble and in need of help, they might be abusing subst…

And also, the homelessness issue is partly due to economics and culture around property.

Some guy owns 7 apartments and rents them out for $1500 each. That same guy lives in a different neighborhood, different city or even different state (or even different country). That that person does not SEE what the neighborhood looks like, nor does he care. All that he cares about is his $1500 that he is "owed". He ignores all other variables and only focus on the spreadsheet and his income growth projections. Not a care in the world about his fellow citizens/people. Greed is prioritized and rewarded in your system. The owners are completely detached from the reality of how people live.

What you rather need is a cap on ownership. Two residential properties per person and no more. Or levy or non-linear tax on each addition property above the second one. The whole buy to let model is a rip off. I own my own place but I would never buy another place to rent out to make profit, I would legit feel bad about it. Maybe it's a cultural thing. I'm not sure, but I don't think living space should be a for-profit system at all.

And if you feel repulsed about what I said above, please go introspect on why you feel that way.

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#147

Post by genidoi » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:45 PM UTC

qntty wrote: post #111

tayo42 wrote: post #47

Pretty cool, I think they way we all talk about psychedelics and drugs in general is harmful and misleading. I guess we need baby steps but idk if social sharing is enough. A big problem with the current drug world is not getting clean and pure substances and in predictable doses. I didn't see anything about like lsd labs and stores or mdma production being allowed in the bill. Did i miss something about making highe…

It's not hard to get clean and pure mushrooms if you take the time to learn how to grow them, or if you have a friend that does.

The grow route, the friend route and the onion route.

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#148

Post by aerostable_slug » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:46 PM UTC

bluepanda928752 wrote: post #119

beepbooptheory wrote: post #38

As someone whose life was very much thrown into turmoil and difficulty for getting caught with a relatively small amount of mushrooms in Texas, to the point that it will soon be a decade and I have not really completely recovered financially or emotionally, and also still blocked from a lot of jobs, news like this is so good but hard to hear on a personal level.

I hope one day we will have a Nuremberg-style trial for all those friendly chaps who orchestrated (and profited from) this pointless life-destruction machine called war on drugs

How does that address those who voted for many of those men and women, knowing their policies and completely agreeing with them?

I am acquainted with people who firmly believe the Devil's Plant is terrible and shouldn't be legal anywhere — what then?

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#149

Post by worik » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:49 PM UTC

lurquer wrote: post #131

kf6nux wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fewer criminal statutes is almost always a good thing. Discriminatory enforcement is a huge problem. My local Police Chief told me he thinks of discriminatory enforcement as a good thing, so you can only solve it as a problem by removing the ineffective/undesirable law.

You can’t cut someone’s hair in California without a license. You can’t sell corrective eyeglasses without a license. You can’t buy (or sell) penicillin without licenses. I could go on. California has thousands of ridiculous, out-dated, laws. Yet, I see no groundswell of support for getting rid of them. My point is, this isn’t about generic ‘decriminalization’ or libertarianism or personal liberty. Rather, it’s about…

Drugs like LSD and Mescaline are not, primarily, intoxicants. Technically they get you intoxicated, but that misses the point by a wide margin.

These drugs should be important in our society, the experience is indescribable and not necessarily fun - but mostly.

If it were not for the culture wars of the 1960s, and corrupt lecherous idiots like Timothy Leary and Ken Keasy scaring the bejesus out of the establishment , many lives would not have been ruined by these outrageous laws.

The same cannot be said for hairdressing

Re: California Bill to Decriminalize Psychedelics Is Approved by Senate

#150

Post by nverno » Wed, Jun 02, 2021, 7:49 PM UTC

dabinat wrote: post #135

A rethink of US drug policy, particularly regarding psychedelics, is long overdue. It blows my mind that LSD is in a higher category (i.e. considered more dangerous) than cocaine.

Yea, it's BS, but the reasoning behind it is the accepted medical uses of cocaine, and none for LSD